Sunday, November 7, 2010

Apple Fritters - WOW!!

A Note: These are not quite so good leftover - they get kind of tough and dried out in my opinion. So, my advice to you - eat them all in one sitting :-)Joni Newman (justthefood.blogspot.com) has such a fun blog and I discovered these amazing morsels on her blog this morning. I took advantage of my body thinking it was later and got up at 4 this morning - meant I had ample time to whip these up before church :-) They were time-consuming but well worth the effort - fabulous, yum...can't say enough great things! They are best while still warm. Please be warned, however, that they are far from healthy - they are deep fried and have a hefty dose of sugar in them. But, they are a much better choice than a donut shop treat - enjoy! Beware - if you leave these out on the kitchen counter, they will disappear rather quickly!!

To make the dough: Combine the water and 2 tablespoons (25 g) of the sugar in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until lukewarm, about 30 seconds. Stir in the yeast and let sit for a few minutes until bubbles appear, to ensure the yeast is active. Mix the oil and milk into the yeast mixture.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until combined.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, add more flour as needed, and knead for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pliable. Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. The kneading time will be the same, mixing until the dough forms a ball.

Place the dough ball back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let rest for 20 minutes, while you prep the apples.

To prepare the apples: Add the chopped apples, sugar, and cinnamon to a resealable bag or container with a tight-fitting lid. Close and toss to completely coat the apples. Set aside.

After the 20-minute rise, work the apple mixture into the dough (in the bowl), distributing the apples evenly. The dough will become wet and sticky. That’s okay. Once the apples are thoroughly folded in, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to rise.

To make the glaze: Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk in a shallow dish until smooth. Set aside.

Using your deep fryer or a deep pot, heat the oil to 350°F (180°C). Scoop about 1/2 cup (140 g) of dough out of the bowl (yes, it is slimy and slippery!) and form into an oblong disk shape with your bare hands. Carefully place in the hot oil. Fry until dark golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through using tongs. Transfer to a wire rack to drain off the excess oil.

Once the fritter is cool enough to handle, but still warm, dip in the glaze and return to the rack. Once the glaze has hardened, flip over and dip the other side, then return

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Crispy Herbed Potato Stack

I was going to try a recipe for herbed scalloped potatoes and at last minute decided to do something fast and easy. I made up the recipe and it was yummola! I layered sliced russet potatoes in a baking dish, drizzled with olive oil, and then sprinkled with coarse sea salt, fresh ground pepper, basil, rosemary, paprika, and garlic powder. Then I baked them at 425 fr about 45 minutes. They were crisp and very flavorful!

My thrown-together salad today - after discovering I had no leftovers for lunch!

Tamale Fixings

Making these was a bit time-consuming but kinda fun! They didn't turn out as good as I had hoped - the outer tamale part (not the filling) just wasn't as flavorful as tamales I have had in restaurants. I have another recipe I will try for the dough next time. Tamales are one of my favorite foods so I won't give up on this one!

"Buttermilk" Blueberry Pancakes

I modified one of my favorite pancake recipes to make it vegan and then I added blueberries. Turned out quite yummy. Soymilk sours and thickens well - very similar to buttermilk. I have been really impressed with it's ability to substitute for real buttermilk.

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Heat griddle pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Sprinkle blueberries on pancakes after ladling onto griddle. Cook just until golden on both sides.

Veggie and Seitan Lo Mein

Overall, this was fabulous! However, I don't think the seitan added much so I would just leave it out next time. The lo mein also needed about double the sauce so I would simply do that next time for added flavor. This was especially spicy and yummy with some Sriracha drizzled on top. I made our favorite veg egg rolls to go with this and it was truly a Chinese treat!!

Veggie Seitan Lo Mein

I really did my own thing for this recipe so I am just going to outline the instructions and include the sauce recipe. I heated oil in a large skillet and added 3 minced cloves of garlic and about 1 cup of half-moon cut onions (I was out of green onions but next time I would use green onions as I like them a lot in Chinese food) and about 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots. After about 5-6 minutes, I added about 1/4 lb of whole green beans. I cooked these veggies until tender. Meanwhile, I cooked a 16oz package of chow mein noodles. Once the veggie mixture was cooked, I poured the sauce on the veggies, heated through and tossed with the noodles. Next time I would double the amount of sauce and have adjusted amounts below to reflect double recipe.

Chinese Broccoli Wontons in Ginger Soy Broth

Pretty yummy. I found that steaming the wontons worked much better than the recipe suggestion to boil them. The broth was very mild and a bit too mellow for us. Still pretty yummy though. I added extra veggies to the wontons and scallion to the broth. The seasoning in the wonton filling was quite tasty!

Chinese Broccoli Wontons in Ginger Soy Broth (Source: Vegan Yum Yum)

(As usual, I modified several things so it's not exactly the recipe in Vegan Yum Yum!)

To make wontons, take one skin and place in diamond shape. Fill with 1-2 t filling. Fold in half to make a triangle and moisten edges with water and pinch sides to seal. Set triangle in front of you with point up and take the 2 side points and bring them together in front to cross. Set aside and prepare remaining wontons. When finished, place wontons in a steamer basket and steam over pot of boiling water until translucent.

Followers

About the Veganizer

Chinese Feast!

Veggie egg rolls and sushi rice!

Egg rolls

I didn't use a recipe for these. I made extra of the wonton filling and set some aside for the egg rolls. I added some napa cabbage and a dash of rice vinegar and soy sauce as well. Then I stuffed and rolled the egg rolls and pan-fried til golden. I served them with homemade sweet and sour sauce.This is one of our very favorite meals!

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix wet ingredients and stir into dry until incorporated. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake 45-1 hr or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Homemade Seitan

Seitan is stored in broth so it's hard to actually see the seitan in his picture...

Coffee Fudge Brownies (Source: The Kind Diet)

Seriously wonderful! I modified this recipe (imagine that!!) to make it even better! I think I just found my new favorite dessert!!

Coffee Fudge Brownies

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour (I think you could probably just use more pastry flour if you don't have this - I think it is used for nutritional value...)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
3/4 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (I actually chopped up Bakers semi-sweet squares)
Glaze:
4 1/2 oz unsweetened Bakers chocolate
1/2 cup vegan non-hydrogenated margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Combine flour through sugar. Combine milk, coffee and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until incorporated. Add walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour into 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray (I used an 8x11 and the recipe called for an 8x8! There is no way the batter would have fit in an 8x8 and it was almost too much for an 8x11 - don't know if that was a typo but I would recommend a 9x13). Bake at 325 for 30-40 min ( the recipe said 20-25 min but it took double that time???). Still fabulous though!
For glaze, heat all ingredients in a double broiler until melted. Pour over brownies and chill until hardened.

Makin' Fakin Bakin Yummy!

Ok so tempeh bacon (aka Fakin Bakin) is a bit weird. Ok, more than weird! You can't fry it up and pretend it's bacon unless you are missing your taste buds and your sense of texture! However, I have found that it is fairly tasty sprinkled on soup to add a bi of smokey flavor. I had some sitting in my freezer because I really didn't know what else to add it to. Tonight I was very hungry for something that involved ketchup - something like a veggie burger or sandwich of some kind. Kinda silly! With the things I had on hand (and the time I had since Frank was working and thus not at home to help with the buddies!) I created a very tasty dinner! I spread a wheat bun with mayo (I will admit it was a combo of regular mayo that I am trying to use up and vegan mayo), ketchup and mustard. Then I brushed onion slices and mushrooms with olive oil and course sea salt and baked in 415 degree oven until nicely crisped. Next I sliced tomato from my garden and piled it on the bun. Then I cooked a couple small strips of fakin bakin in a small bit of oil until very crispy (almost burnt - though this was on accident! A good accident though!). I topped the tomatoes with the fakin bakin and the mushrooms and onions and oh my goodness what a taste delight! The fakin bakin was so yummy I could hardly believe it - it was crisp and smokey and a delicious addition to my sandwich. I will be making this again!

Delicious Vegan Ingredients I have discovered!

Cashew CreamEnerG Egg ReplacerAlmond MilkDaiya Vegan CheeseSilk Soy YogurtGardein (many different varieties) - by far the best meat analog!!Seitan - takes some getting used to I think but pretty good

Coconut Walnut Coffee Cake

I modified this family favorite to make it vegan and it turned out even better thant he non-vegan version!! The best I have ever made!! Unfortunately, the picture didn't turn out real well...

Combine all ingredents and mix with electric mixer at medium speed for 4 min. Pour batter into 8x8 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 min. Take out of oven and top with topping (below). Place back in oven and turn broiler on. Broil just until browned.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Vice Cream (Source: Vice Cream)

The texture of this "ice cream" is grainy and I am not sure why. The flavor is quite yummy but it's just not as creamy as I had hoped. It uses cashew cream as the base. I probably wouldn't make it again but Keith quite likes it!

On the Menu This Week...

1. Falafels, Sweet Potato Fries and Kale Chips

2. Paella with Artichokes and Lemon

3. Piccolini (Pasta) and Broccoli Tossed in Hurry Up Alfredo

4. Chinese Broccoli Won Tons in Soy Ginger Broth

5. Tamales Stuffed with Pintos and Onions

6. Pad Thai

7. Leftoves no doubt!

Falafels with Tahini Lemon Sauce (Source: 1000 Vegan Recipes)

These were fabulous! Such a great bean dish and really quite simple to pull together. A bit time-consuming but totally worth it. I made sweet potato fries and kale chips (I've included the recipe but forgot to take a picture!). Very yummy meal

Saute garlic and onion in a bit of oil until tender (this is a step I added since I can't eat raw garlic/onions). Combine cooked onions/garlic and remainder of ingredients (except flour, oil and pita!) in food processor and process until combined and mostly chopped up. Form mixture into balls and then flatten to make patties. Heat oil in skillet. Dredge patties in flour and pan-fry until browned. Serve in pita with sauce.

Lemon Tahini Sauce

3 T thini
1 t minced garlic (I didn't use this as I can't eat it raw - and forgot to put any powder in! I will add some to the remaining sauce!)
3 T lemon juice
2 T soy sauce
1 T toasted sesame oil (recipe called for 2 but I opted to only use 1 to cut down on some fat)
1/3 cup water (I would use much less next time. The sauce was very runny and I think it would have been better had it been thicker...)

For sauce, blend all ingredients together and heat over low heat until just warmed. Serve drizzled over falafels in pita.

Pad Thai

This strangely enough looks just like the Peanut Pasta! Don't know why as it is completely different. I made a spicy sauce that is a knock-off of PF Chang's special sauce. It turned out pretty yummy. Next time I will make this dish with a few more additions such as water chestnuts, bamboo shootsm, mushrooms, and maybe even some baby corn and bean sprouts! I used what I had on hand and also what wasn't already spoken for for another dish this week. I served brown rice to the side (topped with the special sauce) and an Asian salad. Pretty yummy - another keeper!

Pad Thai (Source: Clean Food)

1 package rice noodles (I used angel hair rice noodles but you can use any kind) - cooked according to package instructions

Asian Salad

I sliced napa cabbage and topped it with sliced peppers, mandarin oranges and almonds, then tossed it in a family recipe of sweet and tangy dressing. Great way to round out our meal of Pad Thai and Brown Rice!

Asian Salad Dressing

Veggie Peanut Pasta

Hmmmm - this doesn't look that yummy! Tastes lots better than it appears :-) This is a recipe I have made several times that I adjusted slightly to make it vegan. It is spicy and totally delicious! It is so versatile in that you can add as many colorful veggies as you want to create a complete meal. Yum!

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add onions and carrots and cook about 5 min. Add the curry paste and stir. Add broth, milk, peanut butter, sugar and soy sauce and stir. Add broccoli, cabbage and sprouts. Cook until sauce thickens and veggies are crisp-tender. Sometimes this sauce comes up runny and other times it comes out thick??? After sitting overnight, however, the sauce really thickens. Either way, this dish is yummola (as my mom would say :-) )!

Kale Chips

Though I like kale quite well in soups, I have never tried anything like this before. I will make it again for sure!

Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside. In a blender, blend together tomatoes, cashews, water, tomato paste. Blend until smooth. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil (I used less than 2 T). Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Then pour the blender sauce into the skillet and heat through, allowing flavors to meld. Add salt, pepper, basil and wine. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Toss sauce with pasta.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

Filled with walnuts, blueberries and lots of yumminess, these are a vegan keeper!

Blueberry Muffins

I found this recipe on the web - actually I modified it so much that it's not really the original recip but rather my own I think! These muffins were perfectly moist and delicious. They were easy to make for sure. The recipe used EnerG egg replacer which has become another one of my vegan favorite ingredients. Though a box of it appears pricey (generally between $6.50 and $7), it is a very cheap egg substitute. Each box contains the equivalent of about 100 eggs! And with no fat or cholesterol, it's a wonderful stand-in!

Sausage Spaghetti (Source: Betty Crocker)

I modifid a recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook and was very pleased with the results. Instead of traditional sausage, I of course used a meat substitute. In this recipe I used Italian Field Roast Vegan Sausages. Unlike many other meat analogs, these sausages appear to be minimally processed and the ingredient list contains actual foods, rather than names that require a chemistry degree to decipher! Field Roast Sausages are made of mainly seitan and seasoned with several yummy ingredients including red pepper and eggplant! I loved the pasta and Keith quite enjoyed it too. It was a little too chunky-tomato-ish for Frank so I might use more tomato sauce and less diced tomatoes next time. Very yummy though!

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch f salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds which will produce a non-stick effect.

Add the onions and carrots. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring often. Addt eh stock, potatoes, salt, pepper, and thyme and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 min.

With the back of the spoon, smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot and stir to thicken. Add the corn and cashew cream and stir to incorporate. Simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with tomatoes and peppers if desired.

Cashew Cream: 2 cups raw cashews, rinsed. Put the cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand overnight. Drain the cashews and rinse. Place in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high until very smooth.

Vegan Doughnuts (Source: Vegan Yum Yum)

Though these fabulous treats don't really taste like doughnuts, they are very yummy - more like little cakes. I fully intend on making them again! They can be topped wiht powdered sugar also but chocolate was a no-brainer for me :-)

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In a small pan, combine soy milk, vinegar, vanilla, egg substitute, and margarine. Heat just until margarine is melted. Do not allow to get hot. Add dry inredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop batter into ungreased mini doughnut pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Top doughnuts with melted chocolate, powdered sugar or sprinkles.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

These are pretty tasty little morsels

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips

1/4 t salt

Melt chocolate in a double boiler until melted. Combine peanut butter, salt and sugar. Pour chocolate into mini muffin cups and top with a spoonful of peanut butter. Refridgerate until hardened.